faster pussycat... type! type!

Amelia: What is that you are watching there on your high falutin' picture box.
Jodi: It's my fireplace dvd. It's good background for when I am writing.
Amelia: What, you don't have a real fireplace.
Jodi: We can't afford one. So I turn on the dvd and light a candle for an aromatic touch.
Amelia: Which is why your fire smells like coconut chocolate mousse?
Jodi: Yes. Earlier it smelled of mangos and tangerines.
Amelia: Refreshing! You realize you are only talking to me to waste time, right?
Jodi: Yes. I'm stuck. I'm blocked. I don't know what to do next. The body has been discovered, the police have been called. All the stuff I came up with last year when I planned this story has been written.
Amelia: You just do it. You just write.
Jodi: Easy for you to say, but write what?
Amelia: My god, girl, quit your crying, get on that plane and fly it already. Oh, and name a character after me.
Jodi: Consider it done.

Just because she's been quiet, doesn't mean she's gone.

Of course she's been quiet so long, a great portion of people who read my blog now probably don't realize I talk to a poster of Amelia Earhart.

Posted by jodi at 23h01 | Permalink | Comments (4)

You might be wondering where exactly Amelia has been lately. Why she's been so quiet. For a long time I have wanted to get her framed. She's been through a lot and has a lot of wear and tear. I wanted to get her in a frame before anymore damage occurred. She is, technically, a collector's item.

Last December, before Christmas, I took her into Michael's, along with the Jim Henson/ Kermit Think Different poster and two NaNoWriMo posters, to be framed. They were having a 50% off sale, and I wanted something nice. And oh man were they helpful. We probably spent about an hour and half, choosing matting and frames. The NaNo posters were especially difficult, colorwise. It took 3 frame dept people to figure it out, with much debate. Finally, we had everything spec'd out and he started to write up the estimate. That is something he maybe should have done after the first poster, I could have saved us all a lot of time. The Think Different posters are 24 x 36, the NaNo posters 18 x 24, and really, that is quite large for a custom frame job. Each poster had a relatively inexpensive frame, but three levels of matting. It was so nice.It really made a difference.

When he added up the total for just Amelia, I almost passed out. I was expecting it to be less than that at 100%. At 50% it was ridunculously expensive. Let me put it this way, I could have framed all prints as planned, or I could have bought my husband a black MacBook with an extra gig of ram for Christmas with that kind of money. If I had that kind of money lying about. Which I did not.

I decided to go ahead and have Amelia framed. We tried reducing the cost by removing some of the matting, but it just looked so much better the way we planned it out. It hurt me to pay that much, believe me. It was extortion. I don't even have Jim and Kermit on the wall because I couldn't bare to have them look all naked and plain next to Amelia.

The picture does not do it justice. She really does look fabulous.

Amelia: Hey.. look at me!
Me: You look good.
Amelia: I look FANTASTIC. My posture has never been better. Can you hear me from behind the glass?
Me: Loud and clear.
Amelia: Sweet. Do you think you can wipe off that fingerprint in the lower right corner? I don't want to look smudgy.
Me: I'm on it.

Posted by jodi at 14h34 | Permalink | Comments (8)

Canadians love facebook. I think I read somewhere that it's more popular here than in the states, but I might be making that up. I swear I read it. I think that facebook is ten times more pleasant than myspace. It doesn't hurt my eyes the way myspace does. I don't have many facebook friends. If you have a facebook page and want to be my friend, leave me a comment and I will email you the url to my page and we can be BFF!! Wil has 197 thousand or something. I have 11. And half of them are people that I met through Wil, so we share them. He's reconnected with lots of old high school friends and is having a blast with the facebook. Found a picture of himself with his first girlfriend, when he was 17, that is ADORABLE. To me, at least. He changes his profile picture on a regular basis. This one is my favorite, for obvious reasons.

Me: Amelia, are you making time with my bf?
Amelia: Girl, we were just hanging out... no worries.
Me: 'kay
Amelia: Girl, your house is a mess!
Me: Don't call me "girl"
Amelia: almost as bad as your cube used to be.
Me: I know, ok. I've been busy.
Amelia: Busy? Is that what they call "sitting around watching home decorating shows on tv" these days?
Me: Maybe
Amelia: You're a lousy housewife.
Me: Oh yeah? Well you're.... TWO DIMENSIONAL!
Amelia: Ouch! That was hurtful.
Me: Sorry.
Amelia: Nobody likes to be told they are flat, Jodi.

Posted by jodi at 11h15 | Permalink | Comments (7)

Amelia: I'm baaaack. My neck is stiff.
Me: You've been rolled up for a few months.
Amelia: Where is this?
Me: Canada.
Amelia: Girl, what are you doing down there?
Me: This is my life now. I'm scrubbing chili off the front of the oven.
Amelia: How did you get chili on the front of the oven?
Me: I don't know. It was there when I got back from the states. The rumor is the kittens did it.
Amelia: The kittens eat chili?
Me: Well, I did find an empty chili can under the kitchen sink, next to the cat food.

Posted by jodi at 19h15 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Amelia: Hey, what happened.. .it's dark. I can't see.
Me: it's ok.
Amelia: I feel funny.
Me: It's ok... you are rolled up.
Amelia: Rolled up?
Me: Yeah, we're leaving. We're taking off.
Amelia: We are? Are we going to go exploring?
Me: Yeah
Amelia: Sweet! You know I'm a bit of an adventurer, don't you?
Me: I've heard that about you.
Amelia: So where are we off to now?
Me: How do you feel about... Canada?
Amelia: Beauty, eh!
Me: Precisely.

Goodbye, P.O.E. I will miss you. You are the best company I've ever worked for in my life, truly world class. You've been very good to me. And I hope that I, at least the majority of the time, have been good to you.

Posted by jodi at 9h38 | Permalink | Comments (5)

The ants were very very busy over the holiday weekend. They've completely buried the test tube, except for the opening. They seem to be hanging out in it. We think it might be their break room or lounge.

Click for larger image.

Posted by jodi at 12h19 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Amelia: Hey... hey... HEY!
Jodi: What?
Amelia: What's going on here?
Jodi: We are moving stuff around... I'm going to turn this desk over this way and turn..
Amelia: That's not all you are doing.
Jodi: Oh, yeah, I cleaned.
Amelia: Your cube is clean.
Jodi: I know... it's unnerving. I hope no one in my family sees it, or they will expect the same thing in my house.
Amelia: Well, I'm totally shocked. How long do you think it will last?
Jodi: Not long, probably.
Amelia: You have a new neighbor.
Jodi: Yes, KK and Paco switched places. This is a girls corner now. It's our cubeplex.
Amelia: Girl power!
Jodi: You said it, Flighty Spice. We are going to decorate. We are planning to buy a nice little throw rug.
Amelia: Oh! It will be pink won't it? Please say it will be pink!
Jodi: Oh, it will be pink. Trust me.
Amelia: I like it!

It's true, my cube is all clean, you can see the top of my desk, and I've thrown a lot of stuff away. Or put it on a shelf. It's weird.

Posted by jodi at 15h42 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Me: I'm going to clean my cube today.
Amelia: I've heard that one before.
Me: Shut up.
Amelia: About twice a month, since you put me up.
Me: Well... I'm easily distracted!
Amelia: By shiny objects... dull objects... dust motes.... sun beams... oxygen molecules. When aren't you distracted?
Me: uuhhhhh.....

So... who do you think will win this contest? Me? or Amelia?

In an unrelated note, I had my blond updated. I'm now blonder but with temporarily straight hair. She always straightens it for me, and I make it last as long as I can. It feels so much longer like this. I keep flicking it back behind my shoulder. Either with my hand, or with a head flick. I feel like Cher. When it's curly, I'm more apt to compulsively shove it behind my ears. Also, when it's been straightened, I pet my own head a lot. It's just so smooth and soft!!

Posted by jodi at 12h04 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Jodi: Do you hear that?
Amelia: Hear what?
Jodi: that voice... listen...
Amelia: Hmmmm.... I do... I do hear it! It's like a voice from our past.
Jodi: He has an office now, his door is closed... why is he screaming? Why does god do this to me?
Amelia: Hee!
Jodi: You've been quiet lately. Readers have inquired about your up-to-ness.
Amelia: My what?
Jodi: They want to know what you are up to.
Amelia: Well... ever since you turned your back on me...
Jodi: I did not turn my back on you! I simply angled my monitor, slightly, away from you.
Amelia: Whatever... the point is, since you've angled away, I've been able to read your monitor. So I pass the time by reading your chats.
Jodi: You do not!
Amelia: I do too! ALL of your chats!
Jodi: all of them?
Amelia: AAAAAAAAAALL of them. Your emails too.
Jodi: gulp.
Amelia: Girlfriend, we've got to talk!

Posted by jodi at 14h57 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Amelia: What is wrong with The New Kid?
Me: Paco? He's drunk.
Amelia: I thought you all were in a meeting... how did he get drunk?
Me: It was a Happy Birthday to Those with Birthdays in Oct. and Nov. Meeting.
Amelia: Like you.
Me: Yes, and Tessa, Dr. Stevil, others. But it was a Cake and Margarita party.
Amelia: Cake and Margaritas, do they go well together?
Me: Not really, but everyone seemed to like it. I had a diet pepsi. Our boy Paco here is a light weight.
Amelia: He's damn near hysterical, I fail to see what's so amusing.
Me: He just told me I was cool, like Evildeb. We were equal levels of cool, but it's a HIGH level of cool.
Amelia: Shows you what he knows.

I have decreed a new decree... from now on, we get Paco drunk at least once a week. Preferably on a Friday afternoon, as it's a perfect excuse to quit working, for he is just delightful in his mirth. He simultaneously celebrated Evildeb's coolness factor and her retardedness quotient. And pronounced her GREAT. I warned him I was going to blog him, I told him... but he was too busy explaining to spyware on his computer how he was going to combat it. And a trip of the men's bathroom recovered the following fact: it smells pooey. Delightful!

Posted by jodi at 18h28 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Tessa and Louise just called from work to sing Happy Birthday to me. And to inform me that apparently, ironically, someone is attempting to share my birthday with me. It would appear that THE MONKEE claims today as his birthday as well. Yes! It's true. I didn't believe them at first, but I guess it's true.

It doesn't matter, I had it first. They say he's younger than me. When I am done squeezing whatever birthday joy there is in this day, he can have what is left.

I wonder if anyone has told Amelia.

Posted by jodi at 14h24 | Permalink | Comments (7)

Amelia: what are you doing? why are crying?
Jodi: *sob*
Amelia: Stop it! I find that noise unnerving. Combined with all the non-stop chatter that goes on here.
Jodi: *rolls her eyes* I just can't win. It's my serenpidity.
Amelia: Don't you mean serendipity?
Jodi: No, I mean serenpidity. The occurrence and development of events by chance in a stupid or pitiful way.
Amelia: Did you make up that word?
Jodi: Evildeb did.
Amelia: And what are they doing in the cube next to you?
Jodi: sigh, getting ready to move someone in.
Amelia: Wasn't this supposed to be the outer Mongolia of cube locations? Isn't that why you picked it?
Jodi: CUBE RAGE!!
Amelia: Settle down, killer.

Speaking of rage, I think we experienced a near melt down here over the last couple of days, when they quit restocking diet soda pop in the cooler. The diet pepsi was the first to disappear, my drink of choice. I transitioned smoothly over to diet dr. pepper. Then the caffeine free diet coke went, and the CFDC people started drinking regular diet coke and things became a bit tense. But when that was gone, and all that was left was diet 7-up and diet dr pepper, people got mean. Louise said someone was snippy with her because she took two diet cokes out of the cooler at the other end of the building, leaving only one behind. I couldn't blame them, she took two.
"I was really thirsty!"

S'ok, now. The appropriate beverages have been restocked. And everyone can just calm the freak down! Ok? People?

Posted by jodi at 14h38 | Permalink | Comments (7)

"..... "

Amelia: Do you hear that?
Jodi: Hear what?
Amelia: the silence, coming from over there. I don't hear a toadying sales pitch.
Jodi: I know! He's gone, my brother.
Amelia: Gone?
Jodi: he's moved. The monkee has been caged in an office and the door is shut.
Amelia: Shut up!
Jodi: Would I lie, my brother?
Amelia: No, my brother, about this you would not lie. Hmmm.... now what am I going to do?
Jodi: I don't know. You want to learn javascript or something?
Amelia: Maybe. Hey... let's talk about boys.
Jodi: Only if you have some secret divine boy understanding you care to share.
Amelia: Oh forget that, then. By the way, does that new guy behind you ever stop talking?
Jodi: sigh

Posted by jodi at 11h09 | Permalink | Comments (6)

"What?! You are kidding me! Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot!"

Amelia: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
Me: I don't know....
Amelia: W T F
Me: Ohhh! What the Fuck. That must his way of saying "What the fuck?"
Amelia: Sierra! Hotel! Uniform! Tango!
Me: Uniform! Papa!
Amelia: hee! Uniform papa.

VERY IMPORTANT NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: The monkee will be moving.... tomorrow!!

I do think I am moved to do a little dance!

Posted by jodi at 16h04 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Amelia: What are you doing?
Me: I am chatting ... with all my many online boyfriends.
Amelia: Really? How many online boyfriends do you have?
Me: oh, about 7. or maybe 9.
Amelia: Uh-huh. And how many of these online boyfriends know they are your online boyfriends?
Me: oh, all of them. They adore me.
Amelia: Jodi... how many of these online boyfriends are real?
Me: uhh.... real?
Amelia: Yes, as in they exist outside of your imagination. You are chatting with Deb, aren't you?
Me: Shut up!
Amelia: About case notes, you are chatting with Deb about case notes.
Me: You ruin everything!
Amelia: You know you have issues, don't you?
Me: duh. I'm talking to a poster!
Amelia: Exhibit A for the prosecution.

Tonight Dr. Stevil has plans to go sock shopping with his friend. They are attending a brunch at the house of a friend who has recently redone his floors. Everyone has to take their shoes off. So they are going shopping for killer socks.
Me: That is so gay!
Dr. S: I know! Isn't it great?
Me: Only gay men and girls would... no, you know what? Even women would not go shopping for special socks in this situation. They would think about their socks, make sure they are clean, don't have holes and match what they are wearing. But they wouldn't go shopping for special socks.
Dr. S: What about when you went to Vegas? For the Las Vegas Pajama Party. You shopped for special pajamas.
Me: That's different. That's an entire outfit. These are socks.

Posted by jodi at 12h15 | Permalink | Comments (6)

We join the monkee as he attempts to sell someone the latest version of my software.

"And the latest version of [jodi's software]? Holy Christmas!"

Amelia: Holy Christmas? What does that mean?
Jodi: I don't know, I guess he means it's really really great.
Amelia: so great he cannot come up with a logical exclamation?
Jodi: I don't like him talking about my software.
Amelia: Wait, don't you want him to sell it?
Jodi: Yeah... it's just.... it's non-denominational product! Separation of church and software!
Amelia: Ahhh....
Jodi: Don't push your Christian holidays on my software, it was made by people of many faiths.
Amelia: Holy politically correct Winter Festival that adheres no no one specific religious belief!
Jodi: batman.

Holy Christmas is now the interjection of choice among members of my department.

Posted by jodi at 22h32 | Permalink | Comments (7)

"Dude! He got off! He got off on all counts. Yeah.. all of them!"

Amelia: what's he yelling about now?
Jodi: hmm? Oh, the Michael Jackson trial. He was found not guilty of about 900 counts of child molestation.
Amelia: was he really innocent?
Jodi: I doubt it. It's not normal for grown men to have slumber parties with little boys.
Amelia: but why is the monkee yelling like that?
Jodi: He's probably excited to have a reason to yell, to hear his own voice. Plus, he probably wants to be seen as hip, being the first to tell everyone.
Amelia: That's not hip, that's sad. The whole thing makes me feel ookey.
Jodi: Yeah. Besides, at least two people told me the verdict before he started yelling. I'm way hipper than he is.
Amelia: Word.

Posted by jodi at 15h13 | Permalink | Comments (4)

After Evildeb responded to a managerial request with a buttload of information:

Jodi: Hello ball! I'm Deb, and I am going to be on top of you now.
Evildeb: I fell off right after
Jodi: louise did that a couple of weeks ago. she was sitting on my exercise ball... fell right off. hit her head on the desk. i hope you didn't hit your head on the desk. 
Jodi: hey... my eye is twitching, it won't stop. it was doing that last night too. does that mean i am crazy?
Evildeb: Yes.
Jodi: whooo-hooo!  good-bye rational thinking!!

Louise is on sabbatical now. At least I hope she is, the last thing I heard from her was a totally stressed out email on Saturday. If everything went according to plan, she flew home to Scotland yesterday. Then she and her mum are going on a Scandinavian cruise. So I kinda hate her. Not kinda...I do. She's going to St. Petersburg and I've always wanted to go there! Since way back when it was Leningrad! Not fair. She's also going to Sweden, probably Stockholm. And Coppenhagen, Amsterdam and something German. Can't remember what. I told her to bring me back something Russian. Like a sailor. Hoo-boy! I'm going to miss her. I'll have to find someone else to come and visit me every day and tell me how hard it is for someone like herself to deal with the "regular" people. That's my girl!

Amelia: Why is he so excited, and loud, today?
Me: Beginning of the quarter... fresh clean sales slate. He's "striving."
Amelia: "Striving?"
Me: Yes, he's rilly rilly striven.
Amelia: Is that a word?
Me: Look it up.
Amelia: Do you see a dictionary in this poster with me?
Me: Sheesh... you used to be such a striver, too.
Amelia: I could strive your ass off, kid.
Me: Word.

Posted by jodi at 16h30 | Permalink | Comments (2)

I finally broke down and went over to the monkee cube and told him to keep his voice down. He was on a call, at the time, but was getting all riled up. So I pantomimed "Can you please lower your voice?" No response. He looked at me, with a fairly impertinent look, I might add. Nada. Perhaps he didn't even know what it was I was trying to say. Maybe that look was confusion. But I think I shocked him enough to lower his voice. And now I am a hero. The high fives are coming fast and furious, kids.

It's only temporary. In fact, the shock has already worn off. But I can't hear him through my headphones right now, and that's an improvement. That's kind of my litmus test. Surely, if I can hear him with music playing in my ears, the person on the phone is suffering aural pain.

"You want to shoot yourself? Go look at our weather for the next five days... sunny and 80's!"

Amelia: unnecessary.
Me: yeah, I don't need to see a weather report..
Amelia: we already want to shoot ourselves!
Me: Amen, my brother!
Amelia and Jodi: *snicker*

Besides, it's not even true. Saturday and Sunday look like they are going to be in the upper 60's.

Posted by jodi at 14h29 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Mock-monkee-speak has become so common place in our vernacular, I don't even notice I am doing it sometimes.

Evildeb: Hey! What s'up, man?
Me: Hey! Not much,. S'up with you, my brother?

Then we ask other people "what s'up" and they wonder why we laugh when they answer.

Me: Hey! What s'up, Amelia?!
Amelia: Do not speak to me in that manner.
Me: Whoa... chill out, my brother.

Posted by jodi at 12h01 | Permalink

"Dude, I have been on the phone nonstop this morning... no kidding... it's NUTS!"

"I know I am dangerously close to nuts from listening to him make all those phone calls."
"It's true, you are. Who is that girl sobbing on the floor?"
"Well, Amelia, that's Evildeb, and she's already gone around the corner from nuts to looney. I'd better take her outside for a walk."
"I think so... I think she might bomit."

Posted by jodi at 14h34 | Permalink | Comments (4)

DrinkJack was out and about this weekend, and happened to see the following tribute to Amelia, so he sent me a picture.

"It's very pretty, Amelia."
"Yes, it is nice... I like the trees."
"Where do you think it leads?"
"Duh... the airport!"

Posted by jodi at 9h28 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Scientology is losing members to a newer religion - Fictionology. So sayth The Onion. And I believe every word they say because they are genius. Also, I believe because I want to live in a world of pretend, 24/7.

So who would be your patron saint?

Posted by jodi at 16h16 | Permalink | Comments (8)

Amelia says:
Don't use a noun as the predicate, when a perfectly good verb already exists. Verbs describe action. People want to know what's happening. When you use words like "matrix" as a verb, it makes Jodi bang her head against the wall.

"People do not matrix to other organizations! I can only assume that you mean move or transition, but perhaps you mean skip or dance. Or perhaps he will kung-fu over to another organization... I don't know!!"

Have we learned nothing from Schoolhouse Rock?
"When I use my imagination (Verb!)
I think, I plot, I plan, I dream...
Turning in towards creation (Verb!)
I make, I write, I dance, I sing..."

*and other countries as well.

MP3 File

Posted by jodi at 14h08 | Permalink | Comments (8)

- It's Loon's birthday! Happy birthday Loon,
- Saturday was Evildeb's Evil Birthday! Happy Evilday, Deb! She was in Victoria BC, and I was under quarantine, so I have not celebrated an evil birth ritual with her yet. Any ideas?
- I just ordered my Mac Mini, using the discount given unto my P.O.E. by Apple. Hooray! My home system needed an upgrade. My G4 will become the delegated MP3 server.
- Due to a physical injury, the monkee is rumored to be a bit more subdued and "quiet," currently. But I don't notice a difference.
- Also, I just pre-ordered the Sims2 for the Mac. It comes out on June 13th. [birthday of Liloo and my uncle Jim.] So the blog may go, as they say in the theatre world, dark for a bit. Dark, with strong possibilities for sim stories.
- I got a Mother's Day card in the mail from my cat.

I said three things and that is six... sorry. I'm still not quite myself, truthfully.

Amelia says "hi!"

Posted by jodi at 11h58 | Permalink | Comments (7)

Like that. BAMF! I came home from work last night, and went into my room to kick my shoes off, I got a little too close to my bed and it sucked me in and under the covers. It has a tendency to do that. Pru was happy because she was looking for something warm and squishy to lie down upon, something into which she could hook her claws. All of the sudden I wake up, it's 30 minutes later, and I am sick. Just like that. Sore throat, congestion, achey head... some stupid cold just came in and bit me.

I came into work today, but most people have requested I go home. Everyone stands well away from me. Except Amelia. Speaking of her... many people tell me that what the world needs now are bracelets that say W.W.A.D. That would be cool. I asked her what she would do in my situation, if she were sick:
"I think you should go over and lick the monkee's phone receiver, when he's away from his desk."
"BRILLIANT!!"

Posted by jodi at 10h35 | Permalink | Comments (16)

"This is the single least expensive way to do it, bar none, no exceptions, the least expensive. *pause* There is one exception...."
"Wha.. wha.. what? Hang on... you can't say bar none and then say there is another way!!"
"Shhhhh, Amelia, look - I turned the page on the kitten calendar! Aren't May's kittens cute? Widdle kitties..."

Posted by jodi at 11h31 | Permalink | Comments (2)

"No problemo... I just got an email from him with a bunch of details about the deal. Which I find incredibly ironic, since I just shot an email off to him 5 seconds before asking for details about the deal!"
"That's not irony, you moron, it's a coincidence!!"
"Shhh...Amelia, settle down."

Posted by jodi at 18h35 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Jeez'm rice but the new 2.3 version of Ecto is gorgeous! I don't know if any of you bloggers use a third party blogger aps to write your posts, if not, you should check out Ecto. I'm sorry, but when good applications get better, and prettier, I get all warm and mooshy inside. It's got this beautiful new Amazon button! Something I used to do by hand... oh dear, I'm drooling all over myself. I'm such a geek. I am truly, honestly giddy right now. There is just so much... software beauty coming out right now. Adobe Creative Suite 2, Ecto 2.3, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.... I just want to lick Tiger.

Now that you are disgusted and repelled by my übergeekiness, let me tell you my new favorite search string, "What influences do Mexican Foods have on Nova Scotia." How random is that? Unfortunately, I am sure they did not get the answers they were seeking from me. Now, I must ask that someone stop me from constantly looking at the search strings!! Seriously, it's becoming compulsive. I have no self control. Someone needs to take me in hand. I mean, good luck in doing that, but still... someone should at least try. I think Amelia is worried about me. Although yesterday we were both cracking up because the monkee was telling a golf story.

"Golf... naturally. I bet he has tiny little golf clubs."
"Amelia!!"

Posted by jodi at 14h37 | Permalink | Comments (7)

I really did not want to go to ball class today. It's so hard! I hate working hard. Sure, the balls are bouncy and fun. But we don't get to bounce up and down on them very much. We do things with them that hurt. Maybe not today, but tomorrow they will. But, my very own ball was due to arrive today, and I needed to pay for it. And, ball class is kinda fun, except for the whole working hard part. So I asked Amelia what to do. I do that occasionally now that I look at her every day.

"why would you even ask me that? Of course you should go to ball class!"

Amelia is not lazy like me. She's a risk taker and an adventurer. And you know, she has excellent bone structure. Very striking woman. She, too, is not impressed with the monkee. And this morning, when the he was upset, and damn near yelling, she rolled her eyes.

"What a slimey little toad."

Sometimes, she mimics him back to me, and I have to concentrate on not laughing.

"Hey guy... shoot me an email. I'll tell you what, I'd like to shoot him, but not with an email. Is this what men of your time are like? Hand me the phone, hold it up to me, I want to call this guy up and explain to him what real men are like"

Oh, Amelia, you're so bad.

Posted by jodi at 17h48 | Permalink | Comments (6)

I'm in a baaaaad mood. Really wrath of god type bad, you know what I'm saying? Sure you do. In my new location, at my Place Of Employment, my dept. butts up against another department now. And right behind my little pod is someone notorious for the volume of his phone voice. and he is on the phone ALL DAY LONG. We shall call him Monkee. The people in Monkee's dept. have relegated him to his current position because it is as far away from them as possible. The problem is, that current position is near me. Management, on my side, is unsure they can do anything about this. I am totally sure I can do something about it. If given permission. Right now, I'm going all laissez faire about it. It's not my place. But, if there is nothing we can do about it, I don't think it is out of line to go over there and tell him to STICK IT IN HIS PIE HOLE if I can still hear him above the music playing in my headphones. Is there? No. Politely of course. The whole reason we sit in cubes, instead of offices is because "we" [and by we I mean not actually us] consider the interaction valuable, a certain kind of knowledge gained by osmosis. Which may have been true, back in the day, when we were all phone techs and needed immediate reaction/help. But now, not so much. And if one has to wear headphones all day to block out Monkees, well then, the point is moot, is it not? Not that there are enough offices for us. It's kinda too late for that. And I am really disappointed and sulky about that. Because I wanted really tall walls, up to the ceiling. And a door. More than anything else. Instead, I get Monkee.

No, seriously, I should be able to go over and request he lower his phone voice. Right? Seriously. [stickitinhispiehole]

On the positive side, I currently have this poster in my cube. We had a collection of them lining the walls in our old space. No one really knew where they came from, or who they belonged to. So we sort, quietly, appropriated the ones we wanted for our cubes when we moved. She's not in mint condition, but she sells for $250 on the web. So it's pretty cool. I'm digging Amelia.

Posted by jodi at 12h52 | Permalink | Comments (3)